X-men - Shadow Shifter
by Jack Nelson
Summary: My first part to my story series. I do not own Marvel or X-men. This is meant to be based slightly close and entwined to the x-men films we start close to where the X-men First Class film starts. I hope you enjoy reading this
1. Chapter 1 - Grievous Past

X-Men – Shadow Shifter

Chapter 1 – Grievous Past

The past can affect people in all sorts of ways; it can make them into the people or character they are today. On the evening of 1947 in the city of Charleston in the state of South Carolina, a young boy sleeps while outside the very house people celebrated the 4th of July. This family was not of an American origin but had a family that was descended from the tip of Southwest Britain known as Cornwall.

While celebrations were still running out side, a group started to gather outside the house. The men turned to one another to make slight nods at each over to say they were ready. They carried a couple of baseball bats and one carried a pistol, their leader. The group walked towards the house and knocked hard on the door.

The hard knocking on the door kept growing louder and not before long became a loud crash. The boy slowly got out of his bed to get to the door. On the outside he heard his father shouting.

"How dare you break in, leave at once!" to which he was replied.

"Its the 4th of July, we are here to kick out the English freaks like you"

"I am Cornish and proud, know the difference. Now get your arse's out of my house!" snarled his father

"We want your little freak of a child. Then we will be on our way." The man commanded

"You lay one finger on my son and I will break your hands, NOW GET OUT!" he shouted

"Break his legs!" another man shouted. With that the boy heard sudden shouting and crashing outside his door, he even heard the female shouting of his mother outside the door only to end with a sudden gunshot sound.

The door flung open sending the boy across his bedroom. The thug stormed towards him and grabbed the boy by the arm. In retaliation the boy bit the man's arm making him shout and briefly let go. The man lunged forward again and grabbed the boy and slapped him with the back of his hand across the boy's face.

"You are coming with us you little English runt!" the thug leader shouted. This time he threw the boy to the floor and started to throttle the boy.

"I killed your mother and father, you hideous creature!" Then he started to manically laughing at the choking only to suddenly hear a vicious growl right behind him. From the corner of his eye he could see a big dark creature baring its white sharp teeth. Then he looked down at the boy to see his eyes turn black and the pupil's blood red. Without warning the creature lunged at the thug leader. The man screamed as the creature started to claw at his face before biting hard on his neck.

At this sudden outcry the rest the stormed upstairs only to have their fate end by screaming and the sound of roaring. When the thug's cries where finally gone the creature turned to see the boy suddenly trying to get back as far as he can, only to be stopped by the room's wall. The creature looked directly at him and made its way to him. The boy felt very frightened at the thought that this creature was going to kill him. But the creature just stood in front of him and simple held out its black claw and just urged the boy to take it. The boy decided to follow what the creature wanted and it seemed to help him to his feet. Then the creature stood back into the black shadows and just seemed to disappear as if it never existed.

The boy left his room to find his mother still hanging in with a gunshot wound in her gut. Bleeding she looked at him to put on a brave smile as if things were all right. She said

"Everything's alright my dear Jack, The nasty men won't get you." Blood started to slowly drip from her mouth.

"Don't forget Jack, Mommy and Daddy love you". With that she slowly closed her eyes. Not to far away his father lay not to far away from where his recently deceased mother lay. Jack wept by his mother's body and was soon found by the authorities.

One policeman came to Jack and asked for his name and Jack replied.

"Jack Piren" he said in quiet mournful state. Then he was taken away from his former home to spend most of his childhood an orphan.

To be continued


	2. Chapter 2 - Finding the power

X-Men – Shadow Shifter

Chapter 2 – Finding the power

After spending several years in an orphanage, Jack had reached the age of 18 where he could finally go out into the world. But throughout his time at the orphanage, Jack had wondered and feared about what that shadow creature was ever since the tragic loss parents and the sudden death of the thugs that broke into his family's home. Currently he had lived in small bedroom, with slightly peeling wallpaper and shelves caked with dust.

On only a few nights in his bedroom, Jack would experiment with this strange power. Jack made sure that he was alone whenever he began. At first he kept holding out his hands as if he were casting a spell, nothing happened. Then he tried to click his fingers to try and summon back this shadow creature but to no avail.

He had almost given up when his eyes lay upon a locket that contained the facial pictures of his deceased mother and father. As soon as he saw this, it were as if a photograph flashing up in the back of mind where he could see his mother bleeding out before him and his father lying on the ground, never to get up. In that one moment his emotions turned to rage and sorrow.

Then his eyes turned black as the night and the pupils red as blood. Jack held out his hand towards the dark shadow made under his bed. At the same time he felt cautious as if anything could be lurking under his bed. But all of a sudden a fully black cat appeared out of the shadow and walked towards Jack. It had red eyes the same as Jack and its teeth were as white as snow. It acted and behaved exactly to how an ordinary cat would and even allowed Jack to stroke its jet-black fur. It was as if the Cat had known Jack for years, hence its familiar behaviour. Then the cat ran from him back to under the bed. Jack gave chase and looked under the bed to find it empty as if no creature could ever have been there and his eyes went back to normal.

Grown with fascination Jack began to try and experiment more with this founded gift. On a couple of occasions he would go deep into the woods beside the orphanage where there were plenty of shadowed places and no one to stumble upon him. He began again, by thinking of his mother and father. He held out his hands and all of a sudden, from the thicket leapt a jet-black dog with red eyes and white teeth. Jack and the dog both played with each over for the entire day before suppertime. As did the cat, the dog suddenly disappeared without a trace as if just faded away.

While he was at the local school at Charleston he was being pursued through the woods. He kept running as fast as his legs could carry him. But all of a sudden he tripped on a tree root sticking out, sending him flying to the floor. Then three bullies caught up to him and started to surround him.

"Where is the watch you owe me, English freak!" one of them demanded

The freighted Jack, now get back onto this feet replied

"I am not English, I am Cornish and don't owe you anything."

"Liar!" shouted another and pushed Jack sending down on the ground again.

All three of the bullies began gather round and about to kick Jack. But in the nick of time' Jack's eyes went black with his pupils going red and all of a sudden the bullies could hear Growling and roaring all around them. Then the very same shadow creatures appeared and began to circle round all three of the now frightened bullies. The creature's mouths began to growl and snap as if ready to get their fresh kill of the day. This made the boys run screaming out the woods leaving Jack lying on the forest ground. Jack got up to see the exact creature that saved him once again from harm and as sudden as they appeared, they faded back into the shadows.

Now 18 years old and ready to leave the orphanage Jack Piren had learned what he could do. He had the power to manipulate the shadows anywhere around and to be able to bend them to his will. He chose to set out into the town to find decently paid job and roof to cover his head.

Unaware that a man was following him and had a menacing smile.

To be continued


	3. Chapter 3 - Incarceration

**X-men – Shadow Shifter**

**Chapter 3 – Incarceration**

A couple of years have passed since Jack left the orphanage and into the world**. **For over a period of time he had been working as a bar man for a tavern called McGraff's. The boss who owned the tavern was called Sean Mcgraff. He was a generous strong willed old man, who had been a veteran of WW2 and a proud Irish-American.

The year is 1956 and Jack had been living a quiet life, and even though he was a boy when he witnessed the tragic death of his parents but since then he had tried to live as though things were normal. But recently he had noticed and felt as those people were following him. Naturally he shook it off as paranoia but soon it would be less paranoia and more reality.

One late and stormy night, Jack was working at McGraff's. It was a slow evening for business due to the heavy rain.

"All things quiet tonight, Jack" said Sean

"You still practice those tricks of yours?"

"Now and again" Jack replied. Sean knew about Jack and his strange power to manifest the shadows and he had no problem whether anyone was different. In secret, Sean really liked the black cat that that jack summons. Then he lowered his head. This was the very night his parents died 9 years ago.

"I'm sorry that it's that time of the year again. But if it helps, help yourself to a glass of Tennar's Whisky its what I prescribe when a man is down."

"Sean, can I ask you something?"

"Whatever seems to be the problem Jack?"

"Is what I have a gift or a curse? I mean, I could have saved my mother and father but I was far too late and that creature I summoned cut down those men like a knife to butter. What am I Sean?"

"Jack I may not be a religious type of man. But in my own opinion, you had never used that power to rob a bank or kill innocent people, and to be able to place such a power for the use of one man. If anything God had made one of the wisest decisions he could."

With that Sean pulled out two shot glasses and poured the whisky. They both chinked their glasses and drank. Then the bar door opened and in strode three men. They appeared damp but smartly dressed as they came in. two of the three stood beside the front door while one walked to the bar an in a fluent English accent spoke.

"Are you Jack Piren" he asked, Sean replied

"Who wants to know?"

"None of your concern, keep out." And repeated the question again at Jack

"Are you Jack Piren?"

"No." Jack replied

"Liar." The short blond haired man said.

"You are Jack Piren and you are property of the MTC." Furious, Sean stepped in.

"How dare you march into my bar and declare a man your property! I strongly suggest you take silver spoon out of your arse and you and your friends march back out they way you came. You are taking no one!"

The blond haired man gave an icy glare at Sean and grinded his teeth.

"This has nothing to do with you. So why don't you be a good Paddy and do what you are told by an Englishman."

Sean smiled and slowly reached for under the counter, keeping complete eye contact with the blond haired man.

"Now if I did that how can I call myself a man unlike thee?" Then without warning Sean pulled out a shotgun from under the bar counter and in the process whacked the man with the bud of the gun across his head sending him to the floor. Then with the gun in his hand's, Sean blasted at one of the men hitting him square on in the chest of buck shot.

"Go Jack! RUN!" Sean shouted. Immediately Jack leapt over the bar and ran to the back door.

"GET HIM!" Yelled one of the men. With a great Bang, Jack swung open the back door and ran down the dark alley in the pouring rain. But as soon as he reached the alleys front entrance, he was tackled by a man and thrown to the floor. It took two men to hold him down but not without receiving kicks and punches in the process. Then Jack felt a sharp needle stick into his back and slowly sedating and before closing his eyes the blond haired man spoke into his ear.

"I own you and you will obey."

To be continued


End file.
